The Meaning of Flowers
by spiceXisXnice
Summary: Master Fung likes flowers, and he planted a different group of flowers for each of us based on meaning. Yaoi.
1. New guy?

Chapter one - New..._guy_?

"Hey, Claaaay!" cried Rai, running into the courtyard. "Claaaay!!!"

"J-aysus, Rai, what in tar nation is it?" said Clay, standing up. "You sound more agitated than a bronco with a burr under his saddle!"

"Master Fung wants us," said Rai, stopping next to him and catching his breath. "New guy's here."

"New…guy?" asked Clay. "Wasn't it supposed to be a girl?"

"So we all thought," said Rai. "Turns out it's a guy. Come on!" he said, pulling Clay to the front of the main building.

When they got there, Kimiko and Omi were already standing there next to a suitcase and duffel bag with Master Fung. "Ah, there you are," said Master Fung said as they jogged up. "I would like you to meet the fifth Xiaolin Dragon…Elijah?" he said, looking around. "Elijah?"

"I'm up here!" They heard a voice from the roof. "Wah – whoa – AI-YAAH!" they heard, and then saw something fall from it, a blur of red, white, and orange. The boy hit the ground. "I'm okay," he said, though his voice was considerably muffled. He picked himself up and rubbed his head. "Ow."

"This is Elijah Clark, the new Dragon," said Master Fung.

"Hiya," said Elijah, wiggling his fingers sheepishly. He had gray eyes, but they looked greenish in the light. He also had bright orange hair, pale skin and copious amounts of freckles. He looked like your stereotypical Irish boy, plus a pair of black-framed glasses that he pulled out of his duffel bag. He put them on and smiled at them. "No wonder I fell off, I'm clumsy enough without my glasses. Blind as a bat!" he laughed. His gaze finally settled on Clay. "Well, hello, there," he said, looking Clay up and down.

"Uh," said Clay smartly, blushing and pulling at his hat.

Elijah's hands flew to his mouth. "Omigod, did I talk without thinking again?" he said, his eyes widening. "I'm sorry, sometimes I do that, I have no idea what I'm saying, I just start talking and the words fall out of my mouth, like right now, I'm talking and I should probably just shut up, 'cause I'm probably sounding like a complete idiot right now, and, yeah, hi," he said. It was all said really fast and left Elijah staring at the ground, a blush creeping up between his freckles. "Sorry."

"It's fine," said Rai, biting his lower lip to keep from laughing. "Out of curiosity, why did you come on to Clay of all people?"

"Rai, don't say that!" hissed Kim, elbowing him.

"Considering there's a lady present?" asked Elijah hopefully. He looked at Omi. "Ladies…?"

"No," said Omi, giving him a cold look.

"Oh," said Elijah, his hands covering his mouth again. "I'm sorry, I hadn't heard you talk yet, and I didn't know you were a guy yet, I thought you could swing both ways…" His eyes widened and he looked down as Rai doubled up with laughter. "That came out wrong." He whacked himself over the head. "Bad Eli."

"Aw, it's alright," said Kimiko, putting her arm around him and shooting daggers with her eyes at Rai.

Elijah looked up at her hopefully. "I'm stupid," he admitted.

"No, you're not," said Kimiko kindly. "You just lack common sense."

"That's not the only thing I lack," said Elijah, hanging his head. "I lack physical prowess, good eyesight, and looks."

"Cheer up, emo kid," said Kimiko, handing him his duffel bag. "Lets go set up your cubical." Elijah grabbed his suitcase and she led him inside.

"Wow," said Omi. "He is most interesting."

"What team do ya think he bats for?" asked Clay.

"Do you have to ask?" said Rai, staring at him. "He's about as straight as a fish hook."

"What does this mean," said Omi, " 'straight as a fish hook'?"

"It means I like guys!" said Elijah from inside. "The window's open, ya know!"

"Well," started Omi, "I, too, like guys. Does that mean I am," he made a j motion with his finger, "curved?"

"Omi, it means he likes guys like…Raimundo likes Kimiko," Clay said.

"Shut up!" said Rai, elbowing Clay.

"Oh," said Omi. His eyes widened. "OH!"

"Yeah," said Clay, rubbing the back of his head.

They could both hear Elijah and Kimiko chuckling from inside.


	2. Jesus, Raimundo, You Made Him Cry

Chapter 2 - Jesus, Raimundo, You Made Him Cry.

Omi opened his eyes groggily. It was a week after they'd met Elijah, and even by his standards, this was an ungodly hour in the morning. He wondered if something was amiss…ah, yes. The new boy, Elijah. Omi rubbed his eyes and looked into Elijah's cubicle.

Elijah was not there.

Omi sprang up, worst case scenarios popping into his head. Perhaps Jack Spicer had strangled him, or Wuya had locked him up, or Chase had kidnapped him to get to Omi once again! Omi ran into the kitchen, _smack_, into a pair of legs.

"Oof!" said Omi as he fell.

"Omi!" said the legs. Omi heard a tray being set down, then he felt himself being picked up and put on the counter. "Omi, are you all right?"

"Yes, I am fine," said Omi, shaking his head and opening his eyes. He saw Elijah standing there, one hand on his hip, a wooden spoon in the other. He was wearing a long white apron over the traditional robes. Elijah took the dish next to Omi and walked over to the stove, setting it down there. "What's new, bucko?" he asked as he opened a cabinet and began searching for something.

"What are you doing up so early?" asked Omi. He rested his hands on the counter and swung his legs back and forth.

"Cooking breakfast," said Elijah, finding a bottle of olive oil and pouring some of it into the pan. As it began simmering, he crossed over and smiled at Omi. "Why?"

"I do not even get up this early. Normally we wake up and Gregory has already made some soup for us," he replied.

"Who's Gregory?" asked Elijah.

"A monk," said Omi, shrugging. "He is old and cooks soup for us." He sighed. "One grows tired of soup. I hope that is not what you are making."

"Nope," said Elijah. "I'm making a vegetable rice pilaf with a delicate lemon sauce. Your garden is surprisingly well stocked."

Omi noticed the basket of vegetables on the floor and a pile of chopped up ones on the counter. "So, do you like to cook?"

"Very much so," said Elijah as he put the vegetables into the pan. There were squash, zucchini, and carrot slices. They began giving off a good smell. Elijah sniffed it and smiled in a slightly drunken way. "Smell that?" he asked Omi. "That's the smell of greatness."

"I did not realize greatness smelled like vegetables," said Omi.

Elijah giggled and rubbed Omi's head. "Silly, it's a joke. That's not greatness, it's breakfast." He poured the dish of rice into the pan and covered it with a lid.

Omi grinned at him. "Oh, I see!" he said, laughing a bit. "It smells good!"

They chatted for about half an hour while the pilaf and sauce simmered. Elijah gradually grew more and more fond of the little fellow, and Omi was happy that he'd made a friend as socially inept as he was. Eventually, Omi said something so cute and grinned that big grin of his, and Elijah simply couldn't contain himself.

"You're so cute!" said Elijah, picking Omi up and kissing him affectionately on the head.

The other three chose that moment to enter.

Raimundo stared at them for a moment, then let out a wolf whistle. "Dang, Elijah, you don't waste no time, do you? But why Omi? I mean, jeez, is it true what they say about shorter men?"

"Wa—" said Elijah, dropping Omi and putting up his hands. "No—it, it wasn't like—oh, God," he whimpered, tears coming into his eyes. He covered his eyes with his hands and ran blindly outside.

"Jesus, Rai, you made him cry," said Kimiko, punching Rai before running after Elijah.

"Rai—Raimundo?" asked Omi softly. "Why did…why did you make Elijah cry?"

"I—I didn't mean to," said Raimundo, looking down at Omi. "He was totally over-reacting."

"That, pard, you are wrong about," said Clay. "I think you just finally pushed him over the edge. You been heckling him all week."

"Like what?" asked Rai defensively.

"You've been calling him a name all week…" said Omi.

"Fag?" suggested Clay.

"No, the other one he's been calling him."

"Queer?"

"That's it!"

"And you painted his room rainbow," added Clay. "Said you wanted to make him feel more at home."

"And you asked him what he was in the parade last year."

"And your askin' him constantly how hot he thinks you are."

"And you destroyed his musical theatre CDs."

"All right, I get it already!" said Raimundo. "I don't get why he's all bent out of shape, he laughed each time I did that stuff!"

"Maybe it's because he wants to look like it doesn't bother him," said Clay, crossing to the stove and turning it off. He sniffed. "Smells mighty good."

"If he wanted to look tough, why didn't he just say so?" mumbled Raimundo.

"Because he's shy, Raimundo, you know that," said Clay. "He probably wants to be your friend, but he's too shy to get to know you. You know, you don't have to be a gay guy to be friends with one."

"Well, then why aren't you friends with him, you hypocrite?" demanded Rai.

"I haven't gotten the chance to know him yet," said Clay. "But don't try to turn this around. You know that you've hurt his feelings."

"I—I know," said Rai. "I just…I just am a little bit nervous around him." He grabbed his hair with his hands. "I mean, what if he likes me?!"

"He doesn't," said a voice from the door. The boys turned and saw Kimiko standing there, looking at Rai furiously. "Raimundo, you insensitive jerk, of course he doesn't like you, you would have figured it out by now if he did." She grabbed his shirtfront and pulled him close to her. She hissed, "He's up in a tree, crying his eyes out and he refuses to speak to me." She let him go and sneered, "I hope you're happy."

"I—" started Rai, but Kimiko didn't listen. She just walked out the door.

"Raimundo, I think you should say you're sorry," said Omi.

"No way," said Rai, turning vehemently to Omi. "He never acted like this, so I have no need to say I'm sorry. _He_ shouldn't be so freaking sensitive!"

The silence hung heavy in the air before Clay sighed. "That pride is gonna get the better of you some day," he whispered before heading out the door, Omi following him. Raimundo sighed and seated himself cross-legged on the counter, burying his head in his hands. The kettle let out a long, piercing whistle and Raimundo sighed, wondering how he was going to get himself out of this one.


	3. Based on Meaning

Chapter 3 - Based on Meaning

"Um…Elijah?" asked Clay, looking up into the tree.

"Go away!" sobbed Elijah.

"Elijah, sweetie, come down. You know he didn't mean it!" said Kimiko.

"I don't care. Just leave me alone!" he sniveled.

"Elijah, please do not sit in a tree all day," said Omi.

"I don't want to see him," spat Elijah.

"Who?" asked Omi.

Elijah was silent for a moment. "Raimundo…" he whispered. Elijah sighed, and then toppled out of the tree. This was not a purposeful fall, he just kind of fell out. He picked himself up and brushed himself off. "It was inevitable," he said, sighing again. He smiled slightly at Kimiko and Omi, and then said, "Do you have any idea why he picks on me?"

"No," said Omi.

"I think he's a bit of a homophobe," said Kimiko.

Elijah chuckled bitterly. "Figures. Well, the pilaf should be done, is anyone hungry?"

"I am!" said Clay. He walked over to Elijah and laid a hand on his shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, Raimundo picks on everyone but Kimiko, and that's only cause he likes her—well, you know. Omi's slang, my accent, Jack's wimpy-ness, he just picks on people. Don't take it to heart."

Elijah smiled at him. "Thanks. That does make me feel better actually."

Clay smiled back. "Glad I could be of service." He and Elijah began to walk back to the main building and Clay asked, "Now tell me, is pilaf an Indian dish or what?"

"Ooh, I'm glad you asked," replied Elijah. "Actually, it's a Persian dish…" The rest of the sentence was lost, as they were now too far away to hear.

"They will become good friends," said Omi promisingly to Kimiko.

"I think you're right," said Kimiko, smiling at Omi. They, too, began walking back to the main building.

When they got there, the first thing they noticed was Raimundo at Kimiko's laptop in the kitchen. "Raimundo," growled Kimiko.

"Hang on," said Raimundo, holding up a hand. The computer pinged and Raimundo smiled and ejected a CD, adding it to a pile. He handed Elijah a stack of five CDs, smiling at him. "_Avenue Q_, _Spring Awakening_, _Phantom of the Opera_, and _Sweeney Todd_ disks one and two," he said. Elijah looked at the CDs for a moment, and then looked up at Raimundo. Raimundo noticed he had tears in his eyes. "Oh, geez, did I do something wrong? Can I fix it?" said Raimundo frantically.

"No," said Elijah thickly. "No, you didn't do anything wrong." He abruptly sprang onto Raimundo with a tight hug. "Thank you."

Raimundo looked at Elijah awkwardly for a second, then shrugged slightly and hugged Elijah back. "You're welcome."

After pilaf and training, the kids were relaxing on the grass. Elijah and Kimiko were giggling about something and Omi, Raimundo, and Clay were watching from across the lawn.

"Pretty cute, isn't she?" asked Raimundo.

"Kimiko?" asked Omi. "Yes. She is very good looking."

"Mm-hm," Clay absentmindedly agreed.

Across the lawn…

"Don't look now, but someone's eyeing you up," Elijah whispered to Kimiko. "Two people, actually."

"Who?" asked Kimiko excitedly.

"Who do you think?" asked Elijah.

Kimiko giggled. "But you only said two. What's the other one doing?"

"I think one of them's eyeing _me_ up," he whispered excitedly.

"Really?" asked Kimiko in equally excited tones. "Who?"

Elijah cupped a hand around her ear and whispered something inaudible. "At least, I really hope he's eyeing me."

Kimiko sighed romantically. "Oh, I hope he is, too. You two would make such a cute couple."

Elijah blushed. "Stop, you're getting me all flustered," he giggled.

Back across the lawn…

"What do you think they're giggling about?" asked Raimundo.

"Girl things, probably," said Clay, leaning back and chewing on a long piece of grass.

"You think they're talking about us?" asked Raimundo.

Clay sat up quickly. "No. You think they are?"

"Maybe," said Raimundo. He fell back onto the grass. "Who can tell what girls talk about?"

"I hope they're talking about us," said Clay.

"What if they are and they are not saying good things?" asked Omi.

"Yeah," said Raimundo, grinning mischieviously. "What if they're debating about who would be the best lover, and they think you'd be the worst?"

Clay groaned and fell back, pulling his hat over his face. "J-aysus, Rai, why do you plant these ideas in my head?"

"'Cause it's so darn easy," said Raimundo, a smile in his voice.

Back to the girl talk…

"We'd better get back inside," said Elijah, standing up and pulling Kimiko with him. "Cherie, you are a wonder," he laughed, kissing her on the cheek.

"Aringato," she giggled. "What does 'cherie' mean?"

"'Darling', in French," said Elijah, taking her hand. "I've been speaking it since I was five."

"Really?" asked Kimiko as they set off towards the main building. "That's fascinating. How do you say 'I love you'?"

"Je t'aime," said Elijah. "Why?"

She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "Je t'aime," she said, kissing his cheek.

He laughed. "Cherie, you are a wonder!" he said loudly.

"Hey, you all going in?" yelled Raimundo.

"Yeah," yelled Elijah back. "Want us to wait for you?"

"Yeah, hold up," he yelled, yanking Clay and Omi up. They all ran over and joined the two in their walking.

"I actually think I might take a walk," said Elijah. "The grounds are absolutely beautiful, and I haven't gotten a chance to see them well yet. Anyone want to come with me?"

"Sorry, koishii, I have to check my email," said Kimiko, releasing his hand.

"I must prepare for training tomorrow," said Omi.

"I gotta…um…eat something," said Raimundo, catching Clay's eye then looking at Kimiko meaningfully.

"I'll go with ya," said Clay, smiling at Elijah.

"Okay!" said Elijah. "I'm sure you know a good route."

"I do, actually. It goes through the garden and flowers and stuff, then ends in the gazebo."

"Sounds lovely," said Elijah. He and Clay set off down the path and the other three went into the main building. "So, what kind of flowers do you have here?" asked Elijah.

"All kinds!" said Clay, smiling. "Different colors of chrysanthemums and carnations and tulips, and violets and zinnias, and snapdragons and orchids, but there are some special flowers." He led Elijah over to five small beds of five different flowers. "Master Fung likes flowers, and he planted a different group of flowers for each of us based on meaning. That's Kimiko's," he said, pointing to a group of purple flowers that grew all on the same stem. "They're larkspur. It means she has a beautiful soul. And them's are Raimundo's," he said, pointing to some flowers that had six petals, three on the inside and three on the outside. "Freesia, that is. Means he's spirited. And Omi's," he said, steering Elijah around and pointing to a patch of white, orange, and purple flowers that looked almost like daisies, except with eight wider petals, "are cosmos. They mean peaceful, which, most of the time, is what the little guy is. And mine," he paused for a moment and sat down at the foot of a bed filled with pink six-petaled flowers that grew like Kimiko's, all on one stem. "Mine are gladiolus. They mean strength of character. I was pretty flattered that he'd picked that for me."

"It's appropriate," said Elijah with a smile. "Has he planted mine yet?"

"He has, actually," said Clay, picking himself up and leading Elijah to the bed next to his, where white flowers shaped like five-pointed stars were growing. "Jasmine, yours are. It means grace and elegance."

Elijah snorted slightly. "What is that, a joke?" He sighed. "And I was really looking forward to seeing what the master had planted for me."

"I can see why he chose it for you," said Clay. "You're graceful in your own way, like with words. You have a grace with words. And you are elegant also, just in your own sense. You're a pretty special guy."

"Thanks!" said Elijah, beaming at him. They set back off down the path towards the gazebo. It was a white one, freshly swept and cleaned. They sat on the bench in the middle of it, looking to the west. The sun was setting and bathing the sky in red, orange, and yellow light with the sun as a great fiery ball on the horizon. "Beautiful, isn't it?" asked Elijah, looking at it.

"Mm-hm," said Clay, gazing at the skyline. This was his favorite time of day, and he was glad to have a friend to share it with. Raimundo didn't seem to get it, and Kimiko and Omi were always busy, so he was glad to have an easygoing friend. He looked down at Elijah and saw Elijah's gray eyes looking back at his. Elijah smiled.

"Clay…" he said.

"Yes?" asked Clay.

"Anyone ever tell you, you have impossibly blue eyes?" asked Elijah, in the slightly drunken tone he'd used with Omi that morning over pilaf.

"You okay, pard?" asked Clay.

Elijah inched closer to Clay until his nose was about an inch from Clay's. "They're beautiful," he murmured. He leaned forward and closed the gap between them with a tender kiss. Clay was shocked, and didn't exactly know what to do, so he broke the kiss.

"Elijah?" he asked.

His name seemed to snap him out of it. "Oh God," he whimpered. "Did I just…?" Clay nodded. Elijah's eyes widened and he let out a scared little whimper before bolting into the forest.

"Elijah, wait!" said Clay. However, Elijah didn't hear him, he just kept running. It was rather late now, and Clay sighed and pulled his hat over his eyes, trekking back to the main building. He would come back when he was ready…right?


	4. Oh Dang

Chapter 4 - Oh Dang

Clay (and everyone else, actually) was woken the next morning by Omi screaming, "WHERE IS HE?!"

He scrambled out of bed and ran into the kitchen, his hair all a mess. "Where's who, Omi?"

"Elijah!" said Omi frantically. "He's not in the kitchen, and he's not in the garden, and he's not at the training grounds, and he's not in the gazebo, and he's not in his room! He's not where he normally is!"

"Well, where can he be?" said Raimundo. "He couldn't've gone far, where did he go?"

"Oh dang," said Clay, getting his hat and pulling it over his eyes.

"Clay?" asked Kimiko, rounding on him. "Do you know something about this?"

"Yeah, Clay, what did he do when you two came back in last night?" asked Raimundo. "It was pretty late when you came in, and I know because I heard you."

"Where did he go?" said Omi.

"Uh, actually, funny story," said Clay, forcefully laughing awkwardly. No one else laughed, so he stopped. "Somethin' went wrong on the walk, and he ran off."

"What happened?" asked Kimiko.

"Uh, somethin'," Clay mumbled.

"What?" Kimiko persisted.

"Listen, I'm not about to tell you, so you can just forget it," said Clay vehemently.

"Okay, geez, I get it," said Kimiko, backing up a step or two. "Sorry."

"It's fine," said Clay gruffly.

"So did he run off into the forest?" asked Rai.

"Yeah," said Clay. "Yeah, into the forest."

"We must go look for him," said Omi, springing up and running out the door, the others following.

They had been looking for about half an hour when Raimundo found him. "Ho shiz," he said, taking a step backwards, his face turning white behind his tan, giving him an ashen look. "You guys," he yelled in a strangled voice. "He's here!"

"Where?" yelled Kimiko.

"Here!" yelled Raimundo, his voice cracking.

The other three ran to him. "Holy moley," said Clay, stepping back one step.

"Oh my God," said Kimiko, running to Elijah's side.

"Elijah!" squeaked Omi.

Elijah was lying on the ground, beaten to a bloody pulp. His face was pretty badly scratched up, and his arms and legs were completely mangled, one of his arms sticking out at a sickening angle. His glasses were smashed on the ground near him.

"What happened to him?" asked Raimundo, his voice quivering.

Elijah moaned on the ground. "A-at-tacked," he whimpered.

"Shh, baby, it's okay, we're here," said Kimiko. She took his hand that wasn't on the obviously broken arm.

"K-Kimi," moaned Elijah.

"Shh," said Kimiko soothingly. "Shh, it's okay, you're going to be okay." She looked up at Clay and said, "You're the biggest, pick him up. We're taking him back to the temple."

Clay nodded and scooped Elijah into his arms. "Elijah…Elijah, I'm sorry," he whispered as they walked back to the main building. "This is all my fault, I'm so sorry."

"Clay," murmured Elijah. "I-I h-urt," he whimpered.

"Shh, I know you hurt, but we're going to make it all better, okay? I promise, you'll be good as new in no time." He sighed. "J-aysus, Elijah, why do you have to be so…like you?" He began to cry a bit. "Why'd you run off?"

"Be-because…pe-people do…c-crazy things," he winced and moaned, "when…th-ther're in…l-love." He sounded like he was crying, but his face was so bloody Clay couldn't tell. "I-I h-urt," he moaned.

"Shh," said Clay. "Shh, it's okay, just stop talking, it'll feel better."

They walked into the temple and Kimiko screamed, "Master Fung, we need to get Elijah to a hospital!"

"Kimiko, why—" started Master Fung before entering the room.

"Holy!" said Dojo, sliding down from Master Fung's shoulders. "What happened?"

"He said he was attacked," said Raimundo.

"He's still conscious?" asked Dojo unbelievingly.

"Ye-es," moaned Elijah. "I h-urt," he repeated.

"I can call a helicopter," said Kimiko, pulling out a cell phone. She flipped it open and said, "Moshi-moshi, Ken. Get down to the temple, _now_. Aringato." She closed it and said, "He'll be here in two seconds. Let's get outside."

True to his word, a helicopter appeared outside almost as soon as they'd stepped out. "Hi, Kim—holy s--t, what happened to him?!" asked the helicopter operator.

"Attacked," said Kimiko as the dragons, Master Fung and Dojo climbed onto the helicopter. "Step on it."

They made it to the hospital rather quickly. The nurse behind the counter called up a gurney and some doctors who rushed Elijah off. "Make him okay," said Omi to the doctors who wheeled him off.

"We'll try," said a doctor, smiling slightly at Omi.

The four other dragons, Master Fung, and Dojo took seats in the waiting room. Kimiko curled up on the seat and Raimundo gently put his arm around her. Omi pulled his knees to his chest and stared blankly at the wall, Master Fung put himself in a meditative state. Dojo climbed onto Clay's hat and Clay stood up and began pacing back and forth.

"Clay, what happened to Elijah?" asked Dojo.

"Somethin' went wrong when we took a walk, and he ran off," Clay repeated.

"I heard you talking to Kimiko, so I won't push it," replied Dojo. "What I want to know is why you didn't go after him."

"I-I don't know," said Clay, leaning against the wall. "I guess…he kind of confused me. I just needed time to think, alone." He slid down the wall and sat on the ground. "I just thought he'd come home when he was ready."

"Dang," said Dojo softly. They both sat in silence for a time, and through the night, and into the next morning, when the doctor would finally come.


	5. What a Yellow Rose Means to a Texan

Chapter 5 - What a Yellow Rose Means to a Texan

"How is he?" Clay asked when the doctor came out that morning.

"The good news is he survived the first night," said the doctor. "He should be able to survive the rest of them. Bad news is that…we couldn't rebuild everything."

"What do you mean?" asked Kimiko.

The doctor handed her a picture and she whimpered at it. "That is the state of his face currently. An impressive improvement from where he was, but…"

Kimiko looked at the pale Irish face. It now had three long gashes down the right cheek and one long scar curving under his left eye. "It's okay," said Kimiko. "It's okay, we'll still love him, no matter what he looks like. He's still Elijah." She looked up at the doctor. "Transfer him to a plastic surgery center, or whatever."

"He has no insurance—" started the doctor.

"I'll pay for it. My dad's Toshiro Tohomiko, and I will not have a friend who goes through life looking like that. He'll always be my friend, but I want to spare him the pain of meeting new people like that."

"As you wish," said the doctor. "You can go in and see him now, if you want to. He might be able to talk, and you can talk to him." He led them through a door into Elijah's hospital room. Elijah was lying on a bed, tubes in his nose and in his arms, breathing lightly. He had a cast covering his right arm. His eyes were open, and when he saw them walk in, they softened.

"Hi, Elijah," said Kimiko, pulling up a chair.

"K-Kimi," whispered Elijah.

"Shh," said Kimiko, smiling gently at him. "I want to tell you that we're getting a plastic surgeon for you. My daddy's paying for it. So don't worry. You'll look just like your old self in no time." Elijah smiled weakly and she squeezed his hand. "The rest of us want to talk to you also."

"Hey, Elijah," said Rai, sitting next to Kimiko. "Dude, you need to stop getting hurt." Elijah chuckled slightly at that before wincing. "No, dude, don't hurt yourself," said Raimundo worriedly. "Just…keep fighting, okay? São forte." He smiled at Elijah and Omi climbed up to Elijah's bedside.

"Elijah? You are most good at getting hurt," said Omi, smiling at Elijah. "The nice man said you would be okay. They are taking you to a place where they will fix your face with plastic. I hope plastic works well with faces." Raimundo smacked his forehead.

Clay walked over to the other side of the bed and sat down. Elijah turned his head and looked at him. The two shared a long look for a moment, and then Clay sighed and said, "I'm sorry."

"D-don't…be," whispered Elijah.

"Shh," said Clay, standing back up. "You're going to be back in surgery in a bit, so you should get some rest." Elijah smiled slightly at him, nodded almost imperceptibly, and then closed his eyes.

The group walked to the door. "Young monks, you are no doubt tired," said Master Fung. "The doctor will call us when Elijah is ready to go home."

"If'n you don't mind, Master Fung," said Clay, "I'd like to stay here."

"I understand, young monk," said Master Fung. "Is there something you would like ready for you when you return?"

"A change of clothes would be nice," said Clay. "I'd like some flowers, too, actually." He handed them a list. On the list was, in Clay's spiky handwriting:

_Yellow chrysanthemums_

_Lilacs_

_Hyacinths_

_Pansies_

_Red tulips_

"If I might ask, young monk, why these flowers in particular?" asked Master Fung.

"'Cause Elijah likes them," said Clay quickly, a slight blush appearing behind his sprinkling of freckles.

There was a pause while Master Fung looked Clay up and down. Then he smiled slightly and said, "All right, young monk, I shall get you these flowers."

"And…and Kimiko, can I talk to you for a second?" asked Clay.

Kimiko shrugged, and then said, "Y'all go on home on Dojo, I'll get Ken to take me home."

"Okay, Kim," said Raimundo, walking out, followed closely by Master Fung and Omi.

Kimiko looked up at Clay. "So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I need one more flower," said Clay, "and you're the only one I would trust to keep it secret. I need a yellow rose, just one."

Kimiko's eyes widened slightly. "Clay, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"Yes, Kimiko, okay? You know what a yellow rose means to a Texan." He sighed. "You want to know what happened last night? He kissed me."

Kimiko placed her hand on Clay's arm. "And do you care for him?"

"The way I figure," said Clay slowly, "and I've been thinkin' about this for a while, is that if I love someone, it shouldn't matter what gender they are." He chuckled slightly. "My family's just gonna have to get over it."

Kimiko hugged him around the waist. "Clay, you are a wonder," she whispered. She stepped back and smiled at him. "I'll get you your rose. Don't worry."

He smiled at her. "Thanks, Kimiko." He sat down next to Elijah's bed. "Thanks a bunch."

* * *

The surgery for Elijah went rather well in the doctor's opinion. Clay couldn't really tell, as when Elijah was put back in his room, his face was covered in bandages. Elijah rested in his room for a few hours, during which time Clay also restlessly slept a bit in his chair by Elijah's bed. A soft voice saying awakened him, saying, "Hey."

Clay opened his eyes groggily and sat up. He took his hat off and looked at Elijah. His bandages were gone and his face was good as new, just like Clay had promised, although it was very swollen. The doctor stood nearby, depositing Elijah's old bandages into a trash bin. Clay smiled at Elijah. "Hey, yourself."

"Where's my clothes?" asked Elijah.

"Ripped," said Clay. "Bloodstained. Ruined, basically."

"Aw," said Elijah dejectedly. "I liked those jeans, too." He looked up at Clay and smiled. "What do you think of me?"

"Good as new," said Clay, smiling back. "I'm gonna call the temple."

Elijah reached up and gently stroked the dark circles under Clay's eyes. "You should get more sleep," he murmured before shaking his head. "Yeah, you'd better call for a ride."

Clay smiled slightly and called the temple, asking them to send Dojo down. The nurse helped Elijah into a wheelchair and Clay signed him out. They went out to the parking lot and saw Dojo waiting there. They both climbed on and Dojo took off into the waning light.


	6. The Meaning of Flowers

OMG I got a review.

XiaolinFireGirl – You are freaking fantastic. That is…wow. I love it.

MORE STORIEZ!!

* * *

Chapter 6 - The Meaning of Flowers

They touched down and Kimiko, Omi, and Raimundo ran out to see Elijah. "Elijah, I thought they fixed your face?" asked Kimiko, referring to his swollen features.

"They did," said Elijah. "To normal people, it would be swollen like this for about a month. But to a Xiaolin dragon, it should be gone in about two seconds, should Master Fung let me try it." He looked at Master Fung and the master nodded. Elijah pulled something gold and glowing out of the air and touched the swollen parts of his face lightly, letting the magic dissipate. Sure enough, when the glowing stopped, the swelling was gone and Elijah was grinning at them, his face completely fixed. "Woot."

"How did you do that?" asked Rai, astonished.

"No one's asked my element yet," said Elijah with a grin. "My element is aether, or life energy, essentially. Akasha, void, space, quintessence, chi, whatever you want to call it. I can control life." He stumbled back a bit and Clay caught him. "Takes a lot out of you, though."

"That. Is. So. COOL!" said Kimiko, jumping on Elijah and hugging him. "So, what, you just used your own energy?"

"Oof!" said Elijah, as Kimiko knocked the wind out of him. She released him and he said, "If I used my own energy, I'd probably be dead right now. What happens when you extract life from your body? You die. I used all that quintessence that was floating around out there. It's everywhere! You just can't see it."

"Far in," agreed Omi.

"Far out," corrected Raimundo. "The term is far out."

"Correct," said Elijah; straightening himself and the clothes Dojo had come over with. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to go have a nap."

"I'm gonna go change," said Clay. He was still wearing the bloodstained clothes he'd carried Elijah in. He and Elijah walked inside, side by side, not talking. There would be time for talking later, and now was not it.

"What did Clay want to talk to you about?" asked Raimundo abruptly.

"Mm? Nothing," said Kimiko nonchalantly. She strode inside to wait for Clay.

Raimundo stared after her for a moment, scratching his chin. "Something's up with them," he murmured.

"With Clay and Kimiko?" asked Omi. "What?"

"I have no idea, but I'm gonna find out," he muttered, walking after her.

"Wait for me!" said Omi, running after him.

"Shush!" said Raimundo in the kitchen. They silently walked over to Clay's cubical, where they heard Kimiko's soft voice.

"I love you," said Kimiko softly. "Easy as that. Just say it! I love you."

"Fine," murmured Clay. Raimundo heard something rustle. "I love you. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," whispered Kimiko with a giggle. "You're going to be so happy, you'll see."

Raimundo was enraged. Clay, his best friend, was stealing the girl he knew Raimundo liked?! This was going too far. "What are you doing?!" he cried, pulling the curtain open.

Unexpectedly, they were not locked in a passionate embrace. They were facing each other, a vase in front of them, each holding a flower that they were plucking the leaves off. "Arranging flowers," said Clay confusedly. "Why?"

"Oh," said Raimundo rather stupidly. "Right."

"What did you think we were doing, making out?" asked Kimiko.

"Actually, eheheh, funny story about that," said Raimundo. "Actually, yes."

Kimiko sighed. "Raimundo, you would have to be an idiot to think that I liked Clay like that. I'm helping Clay arrange flowers for Elijah," she said as she stuck a red tulip in place. The bouquet was halfway done, and Raimundo smiled at it.

"Can we help?" he asked.

"Sure!" said Clay, grinning back at his friend. "The more the merrier."

They got the bouquet finished relatively quickly and Clay picked it up, grinning at it. He thanked his friends, then quickly and deftly snuck into Elijah's room and placed it by his bed. He smiled at Elijah's sleeping face. He looked younger, more innocent and carefree when he slept. He placed a little note next to the vase and the single, extremely important yellow rose atop it. He gently pushed Elijah's hair from his eyes and quickly left, afraid he'd woken him.

* * *

"Ow!" said Clay in the kitchen the next morning, sticking his cut finger in his mouth and sucking it. The finger he'd cut this time was the left index finger, and Clay reached for the tape once again. His middle and ring finger on his left hand were already taped and all the fingers but the thumb on his right hand were taped. He'd just finished taping his finger when he smelled something burning. "Hot damn, the tea!" he exclaimed. He ran over to the teapot and grabbed the handle, yowling like a dog when he realized if the tea were burning then the metal handle would be hot. He dropped the burning hot teapot on the ground, starting a small fire. He yelped and began stomping it out when he smelled another burning scent from the stove, this one the smell of bread burning. "And the banana bread," Clay moaned, turning off the oven. He grabbed the pan of bread, again forgetting that hot things are hot, and he quickly extracted his hands from the oven, howling with pain. He turned on the sink and ran his taped, burned fingers under the cold water. When they felt okay, he grabbed a pair of oven mitts and took the burnt bread out of the oven, scraping it into the bin. At that moment Elijah walked in. 

"Did something burn?" he asked perplexedly. He looked at the ground and the singed circle. "Did you start a _fire_?" he said to Clay. He caught sight of Clay's fingers and gasped. "What did you do to your fingers?"

"Long story short, I was tryin' to make breakfast and miserably failed," said Clay, giving Elijah a sad little smile. "I saved the bacon, though!"

"Ooh," said Elijah, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"What's 'ooh' mean?" asked Clay. Had he screwed up?

"It means I'm a vegetarian," said Elijah awkwardly. "Sorry."

Clay sighed sadly. "Somehow, I thought somethin' like that would come up." He sat down in a chair and rested his elbows on the table, grabbing his hair under his hat. "I just can't catch a break, can I?"

Elijah chuckled a bit and walked over to the stove, donning his apron in the process. "How about _I_ cook breakfast?" he asked, turning on the stove and melting a bit of butter in the pan.

"Thanks," said Clay gratefully.

"Come to think of it," said Elijah, looking at the door, "the fire smell only woke up me, while Omi and Master Fung should be running in here about now. Where is everyone?"

"Master Fung has a conference to go to," said Clay. "He figured we could handle ourselves for a week. He says he's sorry you couldn't say goodbye, but you were tired. The others are in town for the day. I said I'd hang out with you, as you were still asleep when they were ready to go." Clay grinned at Elijah. "So, just cookin' for two, if you don't mind."

Elijah chuckled. "You tried, and I'm impressed you even did that. My turn." He cracked a couple of eggs into the pan and they began sizzling as they fried. He took four pieces of bread and two slices of cheese and removed the fried eggs from the pan, placing them on the bread. He arranged the sandwiches on two plates and took them to the table.

"Mm…" said Clay, taking a big bite of his sandwich. Elijah giggled and Clay smiled at him. "What?" he asked.

"You!" said Elijah. "The way you do stuff. I like it."

"Well, thanks," said Clay, turning beet red and pulling his hat over his eyes.

"By the way, I liked your poem," said Elijah.

Clay started, demanding, "How did you know it was me?"

Elijah laughed, then. "Like that, first of all," he said. He smiled and added, "Besides, the poem kind of made it obvious." Elijah pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. He cleared his throat and read,

"_You've been admired from afar  
_"_And you are my first love  
_"_I've only loving thoughts of you  
_"_My darling turtledove_

"_The bright red tulip speaks my love  
_"_As I always knew it would  
_"_And the single yellow rose  
_"_Says what I never could._"

Elijah placed the paper on the table between them. "I'm smarter than you give me credit for. When you were talking about flowers, I retained some stuff. Yellow chrysanthemums mean a secret admirer, lilacs mean first love, pansies mean loving thoughts, red tulips are a declaration of love, and hyacinths mean sincerity, so you meant it. And one yellow rose," he paused here to take the rose out of his apron pocket and lay it on the table in between them, next to the poem, "in Texas, it's a sign of love." He looked up at Clay. "That's the meaning of flowers. They speak their own language, and I'm happy you'd use it for me. It makes me feel special."

Clay looked at Elijah with his impossibly blue eyes. "I just was a bit shocked when you'd first kissed me," said Clay. "I just didn't know what to do."

"Do you know now?" asked Elijah slowly. He looked at Clay and matched his gaze. They looked at each other for a long moment before Clay broke the silence.

"I think I do," he murmured. He and Elijah stood up and Clay took his hand, leading him outside, past their flowers, and into the gazebo. He turned then, and took Elijah's other hand. He looked into Elijah's gray eyes and asked him, "Can I kiss you again?"

Elijah looked back at Clay and nodded. Clay dropped one of Elijah's hands and touched Elijah's face lightly before leaning in slightly. They waited what seemed like an age to both of them before Elijah closed the gap hungrily. They kissed like that, Elijah nearly on his tiptoes, Clay leaning down slightly, for a few minutes before Clay broke it. He still held his hand lovingly on Elijah's cheek. "Elijah Clark, I think I'm in love with you," he said softly.

"Clay Bailey, I think I'm in love with you, too," said Elijah happily. "I'm so glad that the feeling is mutual."

Clay sat down on the bench and Elijah sat next to him, laying his head into the crook of Clay's elbow. Clay began tracing patterns on Elijah's tie-dye pajama shirt, as, while Clay had changed into his normal outfit before attempting to cook, Elijah had smelled fire and came out of his room still in a loose tie-dye shirt and a pair of sweatpants. It was mid December, and Clay for the first time looked at Elijah's bare feet. "Aren't your feet cold?" he asked.

"A little bit," Elijah shrugged. He grinned up at Clay. "So what now?"

"A very good question," said Clay. "Kimiko already knows I like you, and she probably knew you like me, so she's not an issue. Raimundo will probably wig out, but then he'll calm down and probably won't care. Expect a lot of 'bigger in Texas' jokes, though," Clay said the last part almost imperceptibly. Elijah giggled. "Omi won't care. He'll be happy two people found love. That's just his way. It's Master Fung's way, too. I'm pretty sure we won't have to worry about anyone at the temple." He looked at Elijah with a worried look on his face. "It's my folks I'm worried about. They'll wanna meet you."

"That's what Christmas is for!" said Elijah. "We can go to both of our folks' house on the 25th. My mum and siblings will want to meet you, too."

"But, you don't get that my family is a proper Texan family. My dad might disown me if he finds out I'm bisexual!"

"Oh, _tsk_," said Elijah, sitting up. "Please. He won't disown you, and I'm sure your sister will find it sweet. I don't know anything about your mum, but I think she'll be okay, too. Your dad…well, he won't disown you." He grinned and kissed Clay again. "As long as I'm beside you, you can get through it, right?"

"Yeah," said Clay. "You're right." He smiled as Elijah lied back down. "What about your folks?"

"My mum and brothers and sister?" asked Elijah. "We grew up in the theatre. When I told my mum I was gay, she said, 'Great, what do you want for dinner?'"

Clay chuckled at this. "So, it's settled. We'll stay at my place for Christmas Eve, and go to yours on Christmas Day. Okay?"

"Sounds great," Elijah replied.

They sat in silence for a moment before Clay said, "I wanna give you somethin'."

Elijah looked at him questioningly.

"What?" he asked quietly.

Clay took out a pocketknife and cut a silver button off his shirt. "I know it ain't much," he said, "but the buttons have my initials on them." Elijah turned it over and, sure enough, a little C.B. was inlaid on the inside. Clay tenderly stroked Elijah's fingers. "So, in some small way, I'll always be with you, even when I ain't."

Elijah looked up at Clay and smiled gently. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome, darlin'," said Clay, smiling back softly.

Elijah pecked Clay on the cheek, pocketed the button, then stood up and said, "If you don't mind, my feet are turning blue, and I want the rest of my sandwich!" He bounded off to the temple, Clay crying, "Hold up, darlin'!" and catching up with him. Clay caught him around the waist and kissed him, and Elijah took his hand and they went back to the temple together.


	7. The Bailey Ranch

To my reviewers:

XiaolinFireGirl – Thank you! I just think it's a fun story to write, sorry if I'm terrible at writing kissing scenes! You're a great reviewer! 3

Docter of Thugonomics – If you don't like slash stories, don't read it, asswipe. The warning is in the summary, you homophobic scum. Fuck you.

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Chapter 7 - The Bailey Ranch

"So, you two kissed in the gazebo and this time you didn't run away?" Kimiko asked Elijah one night in his cubical. They were busy having girl talk and Kimiko was painting Elijah's nails.

"Yeah, it was really romantic!" sighed Elijah happily. He blew on his black nails and smiled at Kimiko again. "So, yeah, tomorrow Dojo's taking us down to see his folks, then we're taking a plane to see mine." It was the 23rd, eight days after Clay had kissed Elijah without Elijah getting seriously injured. They were leaving in the morning on the 24th, staying the night at Clay's house, and then spending the 25th at Elijah's house.

"You two just make the _cutest_ couple!" said Kimiko.

Elijah laughed. "Thanks, cherie!" He kissed her cheek and a southern voice said, "Aw, I thought you were only supposed to do that with me."

Elijah looked up and saw Clay standing there. He'd pulled back the curtain and was grinning at the two of them. Elijah stood up and kissed Clay. "There. Happy?"

"Very," said Clay, placing his hand on Elijah's waist. "I just came to tell y'all that it's pretty late, and as we're leaving tomorrow, we should probably get some shut eye."

"Good idea," said Elijah, turning to Kimiko. "Sorry I gotta kick you out, doll, but Clay's right. We're all going home tomorrow, and we _should_ get some sleep."

"Okay koishii," said Kimiko, rising and stretching before walking back to her own cubical.

Clay hugged Elijah around the waist and Elijah hugged Clay around the chest. "Night, sweetie," Elijah murmured before letting go.

"Night, darlin'," Clay replied, kissing Elijah's cheek before going to his own cubical.

Elijah smiled at Clay's back before lying down on his mat and falling asleep.

* * *

"Elijah, darlin', time to get up," said a gentle voice in Elijah's dreams. Elijah opened his eyes groggily and the outline of Clay's face swam into visibility. "Mornin'," he murmured, smiling at Elijah.

Elijah put his glasses on and smiled back at Clay's now clearly defined face. "Hi," he said sleepily. "We leaving?"

"In about half an hour or so," replied Clay, standing up and offering his hand. Elijah stood up and took his hand also. Clay ran his hand through Elijah's hair and kissed him. "Get ready, okay?"

"Mm-kay," said Elijah, smiling in his slightly drunken way.

Clay chuckled. "I'll be back for you soon."

* * *

"The Bailey Ranch," said Dojo as they dropped down to the Bailey household. Elijah collected his duffel bag and rolling suitcase and Clay grabbed his big, brown suitcase. They walked up to the main house door and Clay set down his suitcase and looked at Elijah for a moment.

"I can't promise how much my daddy's gonna like you," said Clay carefully. "He probably won't see you for who you are, only what you are."

"Clay," said Elijah, placing a finger over Clay's lips. "Relax. I'll be fine."

Clay did relax a bit and he took Elijah's hand and smiled at him. "I know you will," he said, smiling at Elijah. "I know you will."

Elijah stepped behind Clay and Clay rang the bell. His father answered, a slightly bigger version of Clay with brown hair and a big mustache. "Howdy, Clay!" he said, giving his son a big hug.

"Hi, daddy," said Clay uneasily. His dad stepped back and looked Clay up and down.

"You've gotten taller," he remarked, taking Clay's hat off and ruffling his hair. "Now, let's meet this new lady I've been hearing about!"

"Uh!" said Clay, a large blush appearing across his face. "Uh…daddy, this is Elijah," he said, stepping to the side.

"Uh, hi, Mr. Bailey," said Elijah awkwardly, smiling uncomfortably at him.

"Howdy," said Mr. Bailey gruffly. He turned back to Clay. "I'm glad a friend of yours is helpin' you with bags, but I want to meet your new belle!"

"Uh, Daddy, Elijah _is_ my new belle," said Clay, bringing Elijah forward.

"Hi," Elijah mumbled, looking at his Converse. His face was positively brick red, and his hands were shaking.

Mr. Bailey looked at Elijah stonily for a second, and then said, "Clayton, may I speak to you inside for a moment?"

Clay looked at Elijah and said, "I'll be back out soon, okay?" Elijah nodded and Clay went inside. Elijah took a seat on the porch as he heard the yelling inside. He heard someone clear her throat above him. He looked up and saw a blonde, heavyset girl sticking her head out the window. He smiled slightly at her.

"You the feller what made my brother gay?" she asked.

Elijah turned red again. "I wouldn't put it in that exact terminology," he muttered.

She left the window and in a minute she was on the porch with him. She looked him up and down with a critical eye, and then said, "You seem okay."

"Thanks," said Elijah gratefully. He smiled at her. She smiled back.

"Don't pay attention to Daddy," she said. "He ain't very accepting, he's just Daddy." She sat down next to him. "I'm glad you make Clay happy."

"Thanks," said Elijah. "What's your name?"

"Jessie," she said. "Jessie Bailey. What's yours?"

"Elijah Clark," he said happily. "I'm happy to meet Clay's sister. I've heard tell of you. Now, tell me, why are you here instead of with the Black Vipers Clay's always going on about?"

"I always spend Christmas with my family," she said. They heard a smacking sound and fell quiet. It was not the smack of flesh on flesh, it was a smack of a hand on leather. "Daddy's smackin' the couch," said Jessie. "He only does that when he's real mad."

"Damnit, Clayton, I will not have a fag living in my household!" yelled Mr. Bailey. "I will always love you, but I will not have _that_ in my house! Now you tell him to go back where he came from 'cause he's not gonna be with you!"

There was silence for a moment while Elijah began to cry a bit. Jessie put her arm around him and they heard Clay say, very slowly and very dangerously, "You can just take that back right now, or you ain't gonna have me either. You don't seem to get that I love him no matter what you say. Where he goes, I go. I love him and nothin' you say's gonna change that."

This was too much for Elijah. He stood up and practically flew into the house. He saw Clay standing on the opposite end of the room looking very, very pissed. "Clay," he whimpered, running to him. He felt Clay's arms close around him and Clay rested his cheek on the top of Elijah's head.

"Shh, baby, it'll be okay," Clay murmured as Elijah held on for dear life and cried into Clay's chest. "Shh. We ain't stayin' here. We're goin' someplace else."

"Like hell you are!" said Jessie from the doorway. She stomped up to Mr. Bailey and poked him in the chest. "Now you listen here, Daddy," she said vehemently. "This is a boy who makes my brother, you son, happy. And if Clay had the guts to come up here and introduce him to you, you can at least be polite enough to let them stay one night!"

"Now, Jessie," said Mr. Bailey.

"Don't you 'now, Jessie' me, or I'll get Momma in here!" she screeched.

"Jessica Maybelle Bailey!" said Mr. Bailey. "You stop that right now!"

"MOMMA!" cried Jessie.

"J-aysus, what _is_ all the racket?" said a blonde woman who exited the swinging doors that led to the kitchen. She was pretty and petite, unlike her children, but she had the blonde hair and blue eyes both her children bore. She looked at Elijah and Clay and smiled at Elijah. "Well, howdy, what's your name?" she asked.

"Elijah," he sniffled.

"Well, why're you crying?" she asked.

Elijah hugged Clay tighter and said, "Because your son is the greatest person ever."

She smiled at him. "Well, I already knew that." She turned to Jessie and said, "What did Daddy do this time?"

"He's kickin' his own son out of the house!" said Jessie angrily.

"Ezekiel Jeremiah Bailey!" she said. "Why are you doin' such a thing?!"

"Because he says he's in love with the little fag over there!" he said.

There was a smacking sound and Mr. Bailey raised a hand to his face, astonished that his wife would slap him like that. "Now you listen here!" said Mrs. Bailey, pointing at her husband. "You are hardly one to be judgmental! Now listen, if he makes our son happy, then why're you raisin' such a racket?! His happiness is what's important! They are stayin' here and I don't want to hear another word!" She turned and pointed at Clay. "From any of you!" With a nod, she retreated back into the kitchen. "And if I hear any more yelling, you'll be sorry you were ever born!"

Mr. Bailey rubbed his cheek and stared after his wife. "Well," he said curtly, turning to Elijah and Clay, "you heard the woman." He nodded brusquely at them, and then went out the back door.

Clay turned to Elijah and grinned at him. "Come on, I'll show you my room," he said, taking Elijah's hand and leading him up the stairs. They entered a room that had a bed with a wooden bed frame, a matching nightstand and dresser, and a large Texas flag hanging on the wall.

"Nice," Elijah complemented absentmindedly. Elijah sat down on the bed and Clay joined him, sitting next to him. Clay put his arm around Elijah and tipped his chin up with his finger.

"What's on your mind, darlin'?" he asked.

Elijah fell back onto the bed. "I have the strangest feeling that your dad hates my guts," he said.

"Aw, Elijah," said Clay, lying down next to him. "Don't you worry about that. My momma likes you and so does Jessie, so you ain't got nothin' to worry about."

"There's a moment you know you're fked," sang Elijah softly. He turned onto his side, away from Clay. Clay snuggled in close to Elijah and wrapped his arms around his waist. Elijah smiled at that. "We always pegged you as a snuggler," he said.

"Who?" Clay murmured.

"Me and Kimiko," Elijah said. "We figured Omi would hog all the blankets, Rai would have his back to your back, and you'd be a snuggler." He thought for a moment. "Oh, and Chase would leave at 3 in the morning."

Clay laughed at that and buried his head in Elijah's shoulder blades. Elijah laughed too, and then sighed happily. "How did I get such a great guy?" he mumbled.

Clay chuckled softly. "Just lucky I guess," he murmured.


	8. You! I'm Still Mad at You!

XiaolinFireGirl - You're sweet. He just sent a nasty flaming review and I got mad. Thanks for making my day brighter!

* * *

Chapter 8 - You! I'm Still Mad at You!

"Well, here's my homestead," said Elijah, leading Clay up to a white house with green shutters. They had left the Bailey Ranch at five in the morning amid hugs from Mrs. Bailey, stony glances from Mr. Bailey, and 'Y'all write now, y'hear!'s from Jessie. They'd gotten on the plane shortly after six and flown three hours to Oklahoma, where Elijah lived. They'd hailed a taxi at the airport and gotten to Elijah's house, where they currently were. Elijah looked up at Clay and smiled. "You'll love my family, I promise. Cousin Jackie should be here soon, and in the meantime, you can meet my brothers and sister!"

"Sounds like fun," said Clay, smiling warmly at Elijah. Elijah felt the butterflies spring up in his chest when Clay smiled at him, and Elijah grinned back just as broadly.

Elijah opened the door and said, "Mum, Zac, Becca, Chet, I'm home!" he cried.

"INTRUDERS!" screamed someone from the couch, and the next moment Clay felt something round and furry hit him in the chest. It began vibrating and making little purring noises.

"DANGIT, ZAC, STOP THROWING THINGS!" Elijah yelled, taking the toy from Clay and hurling it back at the boy on the couch. The boy wore a well-worn pair of jeans, a long sleeved striped shirt, and a fuzzy, bright green, floppy hat, which hid bright orange hair like Elijah's.

"STOP YELLING!" yelled a voice from the back, through a door.

"NO!" Elijah screamed back.

"Someone here?" murmured another voice from the back.

A girl stalked through the door and frowned at Elijah. She had darker orange hair, paper-white legs and huge tracts of land (A/N: Bonus points to all the Monty Python fans who got that). She was shorter than Elijah and only slightly taller than Zac. "Why were you yelling?" she asked in an annoyed voice.

"Nice to see you too, Becky," grumbled Elijah. At Becca's very annoyed look, he explained, "Zac threw his Tribble at Clay."

A woman stepped up behind Becca and smiled at Elijah. "Hey, babe!" she said happily, walking over to Elijah and enveloping him in a tight hug.

"Hi, mum," said Elijah equally as happily. When she stepped back, he said, "Mum, this is Clay. Clay, Mum."

"Howdy, ma'am," said Clay, holding out his hand.

Elijah's mother ignored the hand and hugged him as well. "Happy to meet the new man," she said, winking at Elijah.

"New man?" asked a voice from the kitchen. A huge redheaded man stepped through and smiled at Elijah. "Hey, Lije! Didn't know you were back!"

"Just got back," Elijah replied, walking over and hugging the man. "Great to see you again, Chet."

"What's this I heard about a new man?" he asked again.

Elijah took Clay's hand and led him over to Chet. "Chet, this is Clay, my boyfriend. Clay, this is Chet, my extremely overprotective older brother," he said, casting a meaningful glance at Chet.

"Alright, fine, I won't pick on him!" said Chet, throwing up his hands.

"Thank you," said Elijah happily. He turned to Clay and grinned happily before the doorbell rang. "Cousin Jackie is here!" he said happily. He ran to the door and flung his arms around another redhead. "Hi, Jackie!" he said cheerfully.

"Whoa, hey, Elijah!" said another joyful voice, but this was one Clay recognized. When Elijah released the boy and turned to Clay, his worst fears were confirmed. "Clay, meet my cousin—"

"Jack Spicer!" Clay snarled, stalking over to the boy and grabbing him by the collar of his black coat.

"Clay!" squeaked Jack as he was lifted from the ground. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

"I could ask you the same thing," Clay growled before he felt a warm hand on his.

"Problem?" Elijah hissed.

Clay dropped Jack and turned, furious, to Elijah. "Yeah, there's a problem! You're related to a no-good varmint!"

"May I speak to you for a moment?" demanded Elijah. He smiled falsely at his family. "Excuse us for a moment," he said, gripping Clay's hand tighter than necessary and leading him to the hallway that Elijah's mother and Becca had exited earlier. The first door on the right was black and covered with threatening messages, but when Elijah opened it, it revealed a pink walled room with a purple ceiling. On the far side was a queen-sized bed with a flowered comforter. A bookcase on the next wall faced it, behind a chair and music stand, next to which were an electric bass and a cello. Next to the bookcase was a writing desk and an entertainment center with a stereo and several boxes of various things. On the wall next to that was a closet and a dresser, and the next wall had a desk with a computer and various sticky notes and scraps of paper. Elijah shoved Clay into the cluttered but inviting room and demanded, "What in the hell are you doing?!"

"Your cousin is my worst enemy!" Clay shouted, sending Elijah back. Clay had never shouted at him before. Elijah's normally okay temper flared.

"How dare you shout at me!" Elijah cried, balling his fists and closing his eyes, he was screaming so hard.

"You're makin' a fool of yourself, Elijah!" exclaimed Clay, throwing his hands out. "You're bein' an idiot!"

"Don't make fun of my family, and don't call me an idiot!" Elijah yelled, trying his hardest not to hit Clay.

"I'll make fun of people who deserve it, and I'll call people idiots who _are_ idiots!" Clay roared back.

"Oh yeah?" Elijah snarled. He snatched Clay's hat off his head and jammed it on his own. "Lookit me!" he said in a bad imitation of Clay's accent. "I'm a stupid hick cowboy with stupid sayings and a stupid accent who doesn't know what in the hell he's talking about!"

"Two can play at that game!" Clay cried, grabbing Elijah's glasses off his face and sticking them on his nose. "Look! I'm a freckle-faced, blind ginger kid with crooked fingers and big feet who's actin' like an idiot!" he said fiercely.

"Hey! Damnit, I can't see!" Elijah cried as he stumbled blindly for a moment, tripped over his big feet, and fell onto Clay who caught him by the wrists. Elijah squinted up at Clay and snarled, "I hate you."

"The feelin's mutual," Clay growled. Elijah and Clay stared at each other for a moment, Clay's hands gripping Elijah's wrists and Elijah pressed against Clay's body, before the tension in the air was just to much and Elijah crashed his lips onto Clay's, kissing him ferociously and passionately, Clay kissing back with as much anger and fervor as Elijah.

After a moment, they heard a cough and someone screaming, "EW, COOTIES!" They left the kiss and turned to the door, seeing Jack and Zac standing there, an expression of horror on Zac's face. They must've looked a sight, Elijah wearing Clay's hat with his wrists captured by the cowboy's big hands, Clay wearing Elijah's glasses, which were by now considerably fogged, looking at each other with hatred etched on their features.

"Hey!" said Clay heatedly, dropping Elijah's wrists. "We're busy!"

"Yeah!" agreed Elijah. "Can't you see we're having an angry, hot make out session to release all the sexual tension in the air?!" Jack's eyes widened and Zac stuck his tongue out disgustedly before Elijah strode over and slammed the door in their faces. "So get out!" he screamed before turning back around. "You!" he shouted at Clay. "I'm still mad at you!"

"Yeah, well, me too!" said Clay, stepping over and placing his hands on the door on either side of Elijah, successfully pinning him to the door. He leaned in and captured Elijah's lips hungrily, vehemently, and Elijah grabbed Clay's hair, deepening the kiss.

Several angry, hot moments later…

"Wow," said Clay, rolling to the side of the door and collapsing on the wall. "Remind me to get you riled up more often." He slid down into a sitting position.

Elijah laughed softly and sat down next to him. "You weren't so bad yourself," he said as Clay put an arm around him. He snuggled into Clay's chest and inhaled the smell of cool soil and clean mountain air and freshly picked flowers, a smell so totally and utterly Clay. Clay smelled something different: he smelled new paper and spicy cologne and the smell of the kitchen, the whole and complete smell of Elijah.

"Hey, Elijah?" asked Clay tentatively after a moment. Elijah made a little happy noise into Clay's chest, which Clay took as an affirmative. "I'm sorry I called you an idiot and a ginger kid and a freckle-face. Your fingers aren't _that_ big and I like your crooked fingers." He removed Elijah's glasses and placed them in their rightful place on Elijah's face. "But you _are_ blind."

"Yeah, I'm sorry I called you a stupid cowboy," Elijah murmured back. "And I like your accent and sayings, the sayings are kind of endearing and I've always loved guys with accents." He removed Clay's hat and put it on Clay's head. "But you are a hick."

Clay chuckled. "Fair enough," he said softly, and they sat there for a moment, breathing the smell of each other and marveling in their fortune before rising and going back into the family room to act as though nothing happened.


End file.
